Diving-hood



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mvma HOOD.

I APPLICATION FILED FEB- M1915. 1 1 95,793. Patented Aug. 22, 1916.

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WILLIAM S. DUNN AND WILLIAM F. MILLER, OF MIAMI, FLORIDA.

DIVING-HOOD.

Specification of letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 22,1916.

Application filed February 4, 1915. Serial No. 6,152.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that we, WILLIAM S. DUNN and WVILLI M F. MILLER, citizens of the United States, residing at Miami, in the county of Dade and State of Florida, have invented new and useful Improvements in Diving-Hoods, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in divers apparatus, proposing'more particularly an improved diving hood which is specially constructed whereby it may be worn without the usual diving suit and is complete in itself as the diving armor equipment.

The objects of the invention are to provide a diving hood for use as stated, which may be instantly applied and removed, which, although applied without special fastenings, remains securely in position upon the body, which by virtue of special features of construction facilitates the descent of the diver and enables the diver to work with the greatest ease and in any position that he may be required to assume, and which may be simply and economically constructed and embodies no parts that are peculiarly liable to breakage or derangement.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:-

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a diving hood in which the features of the invention are incorporated; Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof; Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view thereof; and Fig. 4 is a top plan, view thereof.

Similar characters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several to place or lifted from the shoulders of the views.

The improved diving hood which is made of metalor rigid material has a generally hell or dome shape and in the embodiment shown is of substantially uniform diameter throughout its extent The hood is valveless and is closed except at its lower end which is so formed and proportioned that the hood maybe instantly fitted in position over the head or removed therefrom without the manipulation of any parts whatever. The hood has the lower edges of its side portions formed along curves as at 2 which conform generallyto the shoulder curvature of the human body. and when in use is simply fitted o er the head and rests,

I without positive attachment, upon the shoulders of the diver, as shown in Fig. 3. For the purpose of holding the hood in position upon the divers shoulders and of facilitating the divers descent, the hood ha: its lower portion weighted at opposite sides thereof, preferably at the front and rear. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the weights, indicated at 3 are detachable from the hood and are held in position by hooks or other devices 4 carried by the hood and engaging through openings in the weights 3. The lower edges of the hood at the front and rear thereof come below the divers shoulders and the weights 3 which are arranged adjacent the lower edges of the hood at the frontand rear thereof are accordingly disposed in symmetrical relation to the approximate center of buoyancy of the body.

The hood has in its lower portion, prefer ably closely adjacent its lower edge and at one side thereof, a suitable number of openings 5 for the escape of air, and these openings, in. the preferred embodiment of the invention, are altogether valveless. The provision of the openings 5 for the escape of air is preferred but other expedients for the same purpose may be adopted independ The hood is equipped with'the usual sight glass 6 and in its upper portion with an air inlet connection 7 to which the usual air hose ,8 may be joined. The hood is also provided at its upper end with a suitable handle by which it may be carried from place diver, upon his ascent water.

1 In use, the hood is placed over the head until it rests on the shoulders, as shown in Fig-,3, and the weights 3 maintain the hood in position upon the body of the diver and facilitate the divers descent through the water. The arms and legs of the diver are thus perfectly free and the diver may work more quickly and 'with'greater facility than would be the case were his arms and legs hampered by the usual diving armor. By virtue of the arrangement of the weights 3, as described, the diver may assume any position in the water which the particular work to the surface of the in hand may require without any liability of the hood becoming displaced. The air pressure within the hood displaces the water therefrom and is prevented from undue accumulation by the openings 5 through which the air escapes in opposition to the water pressure. The pressure of airwithin the hood need be no greater than is required to hold the water in the hood at some determined level, for instance, the level of the highest points of the curved edges 2 and, hence, regardless of the depth at which the diver may work, is much lighter than the pressure required with the ordinary rubber diving armor. For this reason, the use of the hood is not liable to cause injury to the ears owing to excessive pressure against the ear drums, as is the case with the ordinary rubber diving armor. Since the air pressure required is relatively light, an ordinary hand pump, which may be included in the equipment of every small boat, may be used as the means for generating the air pressure.

The hood may be instantly removed without the manipulation of any part thereof by simply lifting it from position. This ready removability of the hood serves a number of advantages. When ready to ascend, the diver may remove the hood, allowing it to fall upon the bottom of the body of water in which he is working and quickly float to the surface. Or, it may happen that the air hose will be too short, say by eight or ten feet, to enable the diver to reach a particular object sought, such a condition being extremely likely of occurrence in exploring wrecks, in which case, the diver may remove the hood, placing it in some readily accessible osition and carrying an anchor or weight in one hand may walk the necessary distance to secure the object sought and then return to the hood and place it in position, such operation in no way interfering with his remaining below the surface of the water. Again, in the event that the pump or the air hose becomes deranged, the diver is not imprisoned, as in the ordinary armor, but may remove the hood and rise to the surface by virtue of the natural buoyancy of his body.

The weights 3 are preferably made separable from the hood, not only to simplify and reduce the expense of construction, but also to enable the weights to be selected as the conditions of use may require and to be adapted to the individual physique of the diver.

The hood above described is complete in itself as a diving apparatus and entirely eliminates any necessity for applying weights to the feet or to other parts of the body. It has been found capable of ellicient use by persons who have had no experience in diving, since it is entirely devoid of any manipulatable parts or valves whose proper adjustment requires a measure of previous experience with the use of diving armor.

Having fully described our invention, we claim:

1. A divin hood comprising a valveless body of rigi material closed except at its lower end and having its lower end formed and shaped whereby the hood may be fitted in operative position over the divers head and shoulders and instantly and freely re moved from said position, the lower edge of the hood being curved at its sides to conform to the curvature of the shoulders of the body and the hood having adjacent its lower edge and at the front and rear thereof weight means to insure the stability of the hood upon the divers shoulders without the positive attachment of the hood to the body and to facilitate the divers descent through the water, the hood having a sight glass and an air inlet connection for attachment to a supply hose, and the lower portion of the hood being formed to permit the escape of air into the water. a

2. A diving hood comprising a valveless body of rigid material closed except at its lower end and having its lower end formed and shaped whereby the hood may be fitted in operative position over the divers head and shoulders and instantly and freely removed from said position, the lower edge of the hood being curved at its sides to conform to the curvature of the'shoulders of the body and the hood having adjacent its lower edge and at the front and rear thereof weight means to insure the stability of the hood upon the divers shoulders without the positive attachment of the hood to the body and to facilitate the divers descent through the water, the hood having a sight glass and an air inlet connection for attachment to a supply hose, and the lower portion of the hood being provided with valveless air escape passages open to the water in which the hood is submerged.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM S. DUNN. \VILLIAM F. MILLER. Witnesses:

ALFRED H. THoMPsoN, BESSIE W'ILLIAMSON.

Copies of, this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

